


Ghosts

by PrehistoricMuffin



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Adventure, Canon Divergence, Found Family, Gen, Main Game Timeline, The Infection, Time Runs Strange In Hallownest, in increasing amounts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:27:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29036199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrehistoricMuffin/pseuds/PrehistoricMuffin
Summary: A Knight returns to a ruined kingdom they almost remember, and finds a lot more than they expected.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. Enter Hallownest

**Author's Note:**

> This is the bad timeline of [Runaways](https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049921) no I will not elaborate  
> Hollow Knight was created by Team Cherry, I'm just here to have a good time  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knight arrives.  
> Featuring ruins, hubris, irritation with said hubris, and Elderbug

[insert eulogy to Hallownest here]

Within the Black Egg Temple, the Hollow Knight breaks, orange filling their eyes, a shriek spilling from them.

A little vessel decked in crystals jolts in a mound not far away.

In a land of green, a master of disguise, buried in leaves, risks exposure to lift their head.

Two vessels nestled on a mossy ledge startle.

A vessel sparring with a mantis youth looks up, and gets thrown across the room.

Three vessels, gathered at the top of the Spire in the raining city, cling closer at the heart-rending sound.

A vessel curled beside an elderly moth wakes as if from a nightmare.

Two vessels in a gray mansion freeze, waiting for more.

In a land of ashes, a vessel with three horns and many scars shifts from their nail exercises.

In a dark, quiet cavern, filled with silk, two vessels turn from collecting thread on spindles.

At the bottom of the world, the darkness hears its scream, and screams silently back.

At the edge of a cliff, a little vessel looks over a little town, and takes the final leap into the new old world of Hallownest.

* * *

The Knight did not know what had called them here. A call, as silent as their own voice, throbbing with pain, hanging in the shadows of the Wastes. But they were a Knight, and they would answer it. They dove with urgency through the tunnels of the mountain in their path, trusty nail across their back. The small creatures scuttling or flying the caverns were easy enough to avoid or cut down. The huge stone tablet ahead, inscribed with familiar glyphs, seemed more promising. The Knight knew this script, like they did many languages, though this one seemed to dig deep into their frugal stores of memory, much torn by the scouring winds of the Wastes. They thought they heard faint whispers as they read, but when they looked around, hand flying to their nail, no one loomed.

_Higher beings, these words are for you alone. Beyond this point you enter the land of King and Creator. Step across this threshold and obey our laws. Bear witness to the last and only civilization, the eternal Kingdom._ –skip a line for effect– _Hallownest_.

That was a bunch of nonsense. The Knight had seen many things, and nothing they’d ever seen lasted forever, save the ever-shifting ground beneath their feet. The immense stone doors before them, carved with a symbol of a circle with six wings and a crown, were cracked with neglect, proof as much of it. The words told them much of whoever had placed the tablet, though, and now they had a name for this new land they’d found.

They set upon the doors, eager to see what was beyond. The old stone gave out with enough strikes, falling to pieces.

The end of a crumbled ramp lay before them. They saw again the lights of the small town. Another leap, and they were on level with them. The ruins of the old bridge were everywhere–how long had it been, since this had been the land the tablet had spoken of?

Their hasty run slowed as they approached the settlement. 

The little town was derelict and all but abandoned. The doors were shut or boarded over, and only one bug stood in the wind, in a plaza with a lamppost and a bench.

The Knight set their eyes on the old bug.

“Ho there, traveler,” he greeted. “I am the Elderbug of this town, but I’m afraid there’s only me left to offer welcome. Our town’s fallen quiet, you see. The other residents, they’ve all disappeared. Headed down that well, one by one, into the caverns below.”

The Knight looked to the well with curiosity.

“Used to be there was a great kingdom beneath our town,” the Elderbug continued. “It’s long fell to ruin, yet it still draws folks into its depths. Wealth, glory, enlightenment, that darkness seems to promise all things. I’m sure you too seek your dreams down there.” His tone sharpened. “Well watch out. It’s a sickly air that fills the place. Creatures turn mad and travelers are robbed of their memories. Perhaps dreams aren’t such great things after all…” he trailed off forlornly.

The call hung over the well like a storm cloud. The Knight headed for the old well, and took the plunge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took Elderbug's dialogue straight from the game and I have no regrets  
> This is inspired by some stuff, but I'm not going to add it yet because ~spoilers~, but I suspect the premise is fairly obvious. I will point y'all toward SeeBright's [Where Song Lies Still](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22748380?view_full_work=true) because it's amazing and definitely had a huge impact on my writing this


	2. The Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knight finds the source of the call. Featuring Infected bugs, Quirrel, and the Black Egg Temple.

Below was indeed dangerous. Bugs possessed by some madness trudged through the stone corridors, eyes glowing and innards orange, though they still produced Soul. The Knight didn’t dwell on it, the harshly ingrained skill from the Wastes and a hundred quarter-remembered lands serving them well as they trekked through. It didn’t take too long to find what they were looking for, but then again it was hard to track time without a sky, and they’d never been one to tire easily.

Past an elegant archway marked by three masks, the shadowy call lingered in the heavy air around the corpse of an immense, many horned bug, eyes turned to windows and carapace between split open as a door. Some of the horns almost resembled the Knight’s own, but that didn’t mean much. They’d seen plenty of bugs that almost resembled them. Elderbug himself did.

Within, there was an enormous rounded black structure, three faces glowing in its mass, a platform constructed around it. A bug not much larger than the Knight gazed at the egg, a mask on his face and on top of his head. A well-kept nail rested at his waist.

The Knight stepped right in front of him, catching his attention. Their fingers twitched, prepared to defend themself.

The other bug didn’t attack, merely jumped a little, clear eyes shifting to the Knight’s. “Hello there! How delightful to meet another traveller on these forgotten roads.” He peered a little closer. “You’re a short one, but you’ve a strong look about you. I’m Quirrel.” He looked back up at the structure, and explained, “I have something of an obsession with uncharted places. This ancient kingdom holds many fascinating mysteries, and one of the most intriguing is standing right before us. A great stone egg, lying in the corpse of an ancient kingdom. And this egg…Is it warm? It certainly gives off a unique air. Can it be opened? There are strange marks all over it…I do so love a mystery…And who knows what other marvels lie even deeper below us…” His words faded as his attention returned to the egg, studying it. Observant being. What more did he know?

They stepped up closer, just within his range of vision, and stared intently.

Somehow, he noticed them, and accurately read their intention. “For so long I’ve felt drawn here. So many tales of wonders and horrors. No longer could I resist. I just had to see it for myself. And what a time I chose to arrive! This dead world has sprung to life. The creatures are riled up and the earth rumbles. The air is thick. I wonder could have brought it all about?”

The Knight looked to the Egg as well. They felt the raw agony of the call deep in their body; this was definitely the origin.

The being within was someone just like them. A creature born and cloaked in darkness, locked away, in terrible pain, who’d called out for help through the resonance of their shared shadow.

But the Egg was sealed. There was no way to answer that desperate call.

What were they supposed to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter! It's so short! That's what I get for trying to condense this. It's an improvement on draft one, but dang I kinda wish there was more in here  
> Chapter 3 coming soon! As in tomorrow, because I need rest


	3. Somewhere Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knight goes deeper, featuring various NPCs, lots of Infected bugs, and dubious bug geography

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title brought to you by the song "Somewhere Within" by Joe Bongiorno. The song itself doesn't really have anything to do with the fic, but I felt the title was fitting for this chapter, and it is a pretty song

The Knight needed more information. There had to be some record somewhere of what the Egg was, and how to open it, be it a tool or some other method. Either way, it was time to go exploring, no matter how hard it was to leave behind the Egg and its precious prisoner.

The Knight, absorbed in the world around them, hadn’t stopped until they’d reached a hot spring, after finding a mine, a friendly miner, some imprisoned grub children, a truly enormous cargo elevator that took up a whole cavern, a bushy tunnel blocked by an armored beast, a cartographer, and dead bugs staggering about like maddened marionettes. From the spring, they continued east, and found a ruined church guarded by a giant clumsy bug they’d tripped on and had to fight through. The church itself funneled into a village inhabited only by infected bugs and whoever was _laughing_. The sound emanated from a hut set apart from most the others, on a high ledge the Knight could barely reach.

The jewel-covered bug inside cooed. “Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh, you surprised me! Hello, hello! Come in, sweetling! Come in and make yourself at home. I'm Salubra, and this is my cozy little Charm store. Did the townsfolk out there tell you to come and visit me? Mmm, yes! This is a lovely little village isn't it? Warm and intimate and full of life.”

…How long had it been since this Salubra had gone outside?

Salubra apparently sold charms, a type of magical item that the Knight hadn’t come across yet, and they didn’t really see the point at the moment. They looked over the charms she offered, then gave a wave and trotted back into the empty village. 

Then they heard a soft moan, coming from one of the huts.

A fly sat within, seemingly unaware that the house was missing half a roof, his eyes fogged with orange. But just fogged, not completely overtaken by it. He was mumbling to himself. “…ugghh, Oro you oaf…You wield your nail…like a club…Esmy…how much deeper do we have to go…” Suddenly, the orange cleared, and he stirred. “Oh! What?! Who are you?!” He looked around, reacquainting himself with his surroundings. “…I see. This old village. What a strange dream, to have led me down here! If you hadn’t found me, I don’t think I would’ve ever woken. I’m Sly. Usually, I live an uneventful life up in Dirtmouth. The air in these ruins doesn’t agree with me, so I’d best be getting back. If you return above, come and see me. I’m probably the friendliest face left there, and I can thank you properly for your good deed.” He rose to his feet, nodded at them, and left the Knight on their own in the hut in a flash. When they peered out, there was not a trace of him. They’d see him in Dirtmouth, then.

From there, they climbed up, passing another machine along the way. Then west, and…the angle of this felt familiar. 

Oh! They’d been stopped by these grates earlier in their travels. They whacked the lever with their nail, and the gates clanked open. Satisfying. They dropped back down, and investigated a set of fancy doors hanging open.

Some sort of way station, featuring a bench, some statues, and a bell. They entered slowly, but oddly, it felt…safe, as safe as could be in Hallownest, they suspected.

They braced themself, and rang the bell.

A huge bug with a facial horn thundered in, wearing a saddle of seats.“Greetings, little one!” he said eagerly. “It’s been an age since I last heard the ringing of a station bell. It echoed down the stagways and called me to you. I’ve grown stiff and tired over these many years and I’ve forgotten much, but the sound of the bell will always call me back."

They waved in greeting.

“Not a talkative sort, I see.” He swayed his head in an all-encompassing gesture. “These stagways stretch the depths of Hallownest. If you want to travel them, hail me from the platform. I will take you where you need to go.”

The Knight bowed their head in thanks, then pointed back out. They had more they wanted to see. 

“Then I will remain here until you return, or another bell rings,” said the stag.

That…could be a while. The Knight still felt wired from the hot spring, despite…how long had it been? A significant amount of time, they were sure. They couldn’t exactly communicate that to the Stag Beetle, though, so they just waved. 

The next path they chose was above the Stag Station, about half as high as the formerly closed path. A grand archway marked it. An obstacle came not far along the route; the Knight had seen one of these enormous guards before. They’d had to fight through it to get to one of the grub children. They had no desire to get caught up in another battle, and tiptoed around. Beyond that, only a few husks barred their way, and their nail made short work of them.

The next cavern was immense, glorious with ratty tapestries and tarnished posts. But yet again, there was a grate blocking their path.

The way around looked to be further up, requiring more jumping and climbing than they would have liked. More orange-eyed bugs stalked the corridors, but at last the Knight found a detour, only for a grate to slam shut in their face. Annoyed, they struck it with their nail. 

A huge creature in armor dropped from the ceiling. Without fanfare, it swung its mace toward the Knight. 

They barely leapt out of the way, skidded a little on the ground.

This wasn’t a knight. Knights didn’t attack those who did not attack them. They were taking advantage of the armor they wore.

They chipped away at the False Knight’s armor, until their foe tripped on a loose bit of it, sending them tail over head to the floor. Their helmet slipped off.

It was…a maggot. A soft fleshy maggot.

Maggot or not, it had attacked them. They slashed at their foe until it dragged its helmet back on and clambered to its feet, and the fight resumed.

The Knight didn’t think they would have actually won, except the False Knight’s flailing knocked the floor beneath them apart.

The two fell. The False Knight was pinned beneath its own armor, the helmet knocked away.

The Knight finished it with several nail slashes. It went limp.

The grate that had stopped them before rose with a clank.

Well. That solved one problem.

A happy chirp caught the Knight’s attention.

The ball of the mace was alive! And as quick as them, too. It trundled away, seeming as pleased as one of the grubs the Knight had saved.

The Knight returned to traveling, until they found…a cracked mask, hanging from a wooden pole. 

That wasn’t unsettling at all. The Knight resisted the urge to draw their nail, and continued on. Torches lit the path, yellow flames caged. More masks lined the route, shells slowly overtaking the floor. 

Some sort of temple? A mound of a building, with not a bug in sight.

Within, there were even more shells, and…a snail?

“Oho! Who is that creeping out of the darkness? My, you’re looking grim! An empty face and a wicked looking weapon! Something important has drawn you into Hallownest’s corpse, but I won’t ask what. Perhaps–”

Rattle, rattle, crack.

The Knight and the snail both turned toward the noise.

It was a creature, the likes of which the Knight had never seen before.

A creature, with a white mask, a ratty cloak, and a black body, just like them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the reveal is over with  
> this au was inspired by [these](https://marggri.tumblr.com/post/189962077614/hollow-knight-multiplayer) [posts](https://phanerozoicfossilgardener.tumblr.com/post/628402361234259968/a-burden-you-must-carry-alone-is-not-one-worth) make of that what you will


	4. Shamans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shamans, featuring the Snail Shaman's laughter

The little creature like them waved eagerly. Crystals dangled from their cloak and sharp three-kinked horns and even limbs. _Sibling!_

 _Sibling_ , the Knight echoed, shocked at the use of Voidspeak.

The other seemed to take it as a question. _Sibling! We come from the same place, you and I. I’m called Shard. Don’t worry, the Snail Shaman is a friend. What are you called? If you want to tell._

They tilted their head. _I am a Knight?_

_…A title? Well, if that’s what you want to be called, Knight._

Now that it was being said by another, by a sibling, no less, the Knight thought they could use a name to go with it.

“Do you know this one, Shard?” The Snail Shaman asked.

Shard began to move their hands at him.

“Oh-ho! So this little one is a friend of yours?”

So-so tilt of the hand.

“But nonetheless, not a threat.”

Nod.

The Snail Shaman spread his arms warmly. “Well! Welcome, then! Any friend of Shard’s is a friend of mine.”

The Knight nudged close to Shard and pointed at their hands, postured at the ready. _What is…_

 _Called sign! Lets me talk without a voice._ Shard took on a prim, proud tone. _We are shamans. We use Soul to make spells. I can teach you, if you want._

The Knight shook their head. _Have task._

_ Task? What are you going to do? _

_Am going to free whoever is stuck in the egg._

_The Black Egg in the temple?_ Their Voidspeak dropped to a haunted whisper. _The one that screamed?_

Nod. _Another sibling is in there._

Shard deliberated, very briefly. _Will come with you._

 _It will be dangerous,_ the Knight warned.

_All is dangerous in Hallownest._

The Knight really couldn’t argue with that.

 _Be right back. Need Soul._ Shard trotted a few feet into the mound, then–blasted up a tunnel with a burst of Soul.

The Knight stared. Suddenly they were a lot less concerned about bringing Shard along. They sat down on the bench to wait.

Shard returned after about what seemed like an hour, and signed something to the Snail Shaman.

“More baldurs?” He tsked. “I’ll have to deal with that while you’re gone.”

A little more sign, and then Shard hugged the Snail Shaman.

He startled, then returned the embrace. “Oh, little one,” he murmured, uncharacteristically soft. “We will see each other soon.”

Shard took a bracing breath, then joined the Knight. _Are you ready to go?_

They gave a firm nod, and led Shard out of the Mound.

The Snail Shaman called after them. “Farewell, and have faith! Whatever you are seeking…it will find you! Ohohoho!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been so excited to add the Found Family tag  
> And presenting an [Image](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W384sYUco0BpUpBh7AYpmHoHIpAKcrlv/view?usp=sharing), inspired by something really silly in Growth. It's doing double duty as a reference right now


	5. Travels in Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knight and Shard head into Greenpath. Exposition awaits. Featuring some eerie Infection implications, Cornifer! and some heavy handed foreshadowing

Shard dealt with the creature blocking the western path with ease. Only a few bursts of Soul, and it collapsed, oozing orange.

 _Well done,_ the Knight commented as Shard hovered over the body, drawing the bubbling Soul from it, their crystals glowing with the effort.

_Thank you._

Lush leaves and brush slowly overtook Hallownest’s ruined path as the two progressed, large pools of acid exposed beneath collapsed stretches of road.

Shard knew some of this area’s history from the Snail Shaman. _Called the King’s Path by Hallownest. Shamans called it Greenpath, because something else was there first._ The rocky tunnels gave way to an immense cavern and huge swirly-textured stones. _Mosskin. Don’t know much about them._

Then a patch of moss chirped, shuddered, and revealed itself to be a bug, eyes glowing orange as it puttered dauntlessly toward Shard and the Knight.

Slash slash! The Knight stood over a green body.

 _…Do you think that was a Mosskin?_ Shard said.

The Knight nodded, stowing their nail. _We’ll have to be careful, they said, scanning their surroundings. Neither of us knows–Shard!_

They had knelt by the body, studying it. _Look at this,_ they murmured, gesturing to the dead bug.

_What are you doing?!_

Excited, Shard pointed at the bug’s wounds, which…

The gashes didn’t bleed. In fact, they were held cauterized by orange gel, and the carapace was slowly sealing over it.

 _That isn’t good,_ said the Knight.

 _But it is interesting,_ Shard said. _The Infection apparently heals its victims._

_Let’s go before it gets up and starts chasing us again._

* * *

Mask flies fluttered out of their way. _So charms are useful?_ the Knight said as they crossed a wide beam of light.

 _Super useful. I use one called Soul Catcher. Helps me draw in Soul from the environment, along with these._ Shard gestured to the crystals hanging from their horns.

More Hallownest architecture. The Knight held in a sigh, going under an archway. How far exactly had the kingdom reached in Greenpath, a place it had no business being in?

Shard boosted themself up on a ledge, then another, and out of sight. It took the Knight a little longer and some fancy jumping to follow, and when they got there they stared.

Shard was frozen at the sight of a magnificent convergence of waterfalls. The scraping burble washed all thought away.

 _Beautiful,_ Shard whispered.

And there was a bench here. Bonus.

They stared at those waterfalls for a long time.

* * *

Plates of stone gave way to mossy cobble. _Maybe you shouldn’t call it a task. Maybe mission?_ Shard said as they helped the Knight off a ledge. _Big kingdom, after all._

_It’s one task. How long could it take?_

  
Shard snickered silently.

A splash of color caught the Knight’s eye.

A being in red gazed down at them from a ledge.

The two froze.

The stranger was taller than either of them, but had the same sort of long, pale mask. A needle gleamed in their hand.

After a moment, the stranger turned and darted down the tunnel behind them.

The Knight spun. _Can you get us up there?_

_Yes, but–_

_But what?_

_Spider in red is dangerous!_ The Voidspeak was wispy and fragmented with distress, and it brought the Knight up short. Shard took a deep, calming breath. Their hands were trembling a little. _She’s called Hornet. The Shamans always hid me from her. She has some connection to Hallownest, but I’m not sure what._

 _Shamans?_ Shard had only brought up the Crossroads Shaman before.

They stilled, like they’d said too much.

_Does it have something to do with your crystals?_

They gathered themself. _There’s more than one shaman in Hallownest. Remnants of before. I got my crystals from one of them._

_What were they like?_

_I don’t want to talk about the other shamans right now._ Shard sounded more desperate than anything, so they dropped it.

_What about Hornet?_

* * *

  
The two got caught up in a battle against some heavily Infected bugs further down the path, their fur interspersed with large orange cysts. Shard could very much handle themself in a fight, and the two found out in a helpful accident that they could transfer Soul through touch.

The Knight was momentarily stunned by a gaseous attack from the final bug standing, but Shard blasted the bug just before it could shake out another burst. _Thanks_ , said the Knight, getting up and dusting themself off.

Shard nodded, glancing around. _All clear, I think._

The Knight had been thinking of this question for a while, and there was never going to be a good time for it, was there. _Where do we come from?_

Shard faltered. _Don’t remember. Here, somewhere. Somewhere far from here. Somewhere deep, and dark…_ They trailed off, lost in old almost-memories.

The Knight tugged them out of the way of an attacking needle-nosed bug, then cut it down. _Bad question. Need to focus._

 _Good question, bad time,_ Shard corrected. They shook their hands out, as if shedding the dark thoughts. _Do you remember?_

The Knight shook their head. _Don’t even remember afterwords. Effects of traveling the Wastes._

 _Sounds like fun,_ Shard replied wryly, and the Knight actually huffed in amusement.

Beyond the next ridge, familiar humming filled the air.

The Knight brightened. _The cartographer!_ Without hesitation or heed to Shard’s questions, they followed the sound to a small glen. They could hear the cries of a grub child, too; they would find that later.

There was Cornifer, papers spread around him like odd leaves. He raised his head from his map as the Knight approached. “Hello, there! Isn’t this a contrast from the Crossroads?” he marveled. “Such a humid, lively place. The roads twist and turn in the most wonderful ways. I’ve done my best to chart the area ahead, though I must admit some of the area’s inhabitants proved quite a nuisance. Would you like to buy it?”

The Knight nodded eagerly, and was quite grateful when they had enough geo.

“Who is your companion?” Cornifer asked, gesturing behind them.

Shard had stopped a short distance away, apparently hesitant at the new bug.

The Knight waved them forward, and mimed sign at them.

“I’m not familiar with that dialect of sign language,” Cornifer said.

Shard tapped their foot rapidly in frustration, pulled a paper out from beneath their cloak, wrote a short introduction on it and held it up.

He stared in surprise. “I recognize some of these symbols from signs in the Crossroads. You know the local dialect?”

Shard nodded.

“I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with it, but I think I understand. You two met recently and decided to travel together?”

The Knight nodded this time.

“That’s all I can make out for now. Perhaps later you could give me lessons!” He laughed to himself. Shard gave a good-natured shrug. “Pleased to see you again, and to meet you. I’m Cornifer.” Shard clapped their hands to show their enthusiasm, and it seemed to mollify Cornifer. “I’m sure you two want to get back to your travels, unless you would like to rest here a while?” He sounded almost hopeful.

The Knight looked to Shard.

I _say go a bit further,_ Shard said.

The Knight did want to find that grub. _Agreed_. The two waved Cornifer farewell.

The Knight followed the sound of the grub’s cries. There it was! Up on that ledge! _Can you get up there?_ they asked.

Shard scanned the height, then nodded. _Throw me._

The Knight picked Shard up, angled their feet against the ground, and threw.

Shard took over at the peak of the toss, a blast of Soul propelling them to the ledge with the jar. They studied it.

 _Just break it!_ The Knight called. _The lid is sealed._

Shard gave a shard nod. They pulled out a tack and whacked the glass until it shattered.

The grub child cheered, and dug away.

Shard leapt off and rejoined the Knight, who was now trying to figure out where they were on Cornifer’s map. _I think Cornifer was here_ , they volunteered, pointing at an isolated cavern.

The Knight nodded in agreement. _Go down?_ They suggested.

_Sounds good._

The next area contained more Infected Mosskin, and a corridor lined with teeth.

The Knight was intrigued, but Shard shivered. _Don’t like that,_ they murmured.

_It’ll be fine. We can take on anything together._

The adjacent cavern, long and narrow, was notably quieter. All noise was distant, and a cave at the end like a gaping tooth-filled maw.

Six eyes opened in the darkness, and a roar emerged from the maw.

Shard jumped and buried their face in their arms, shaking, then emerged again, cowering from the toothy opening.

The Knight stepped in front of their sibling and drew their nail, just out of range. A defender, not an aggressor. They hoped the gestures would be recognized.

The eyes blinked.

“Tiny squibs…despite one’s fear, you stand fearless,” the stranger addressed the Knight. “Are you a hunter like me? Do you feel the urge inside, to stalk, to kill, to understand? Then take it! My journal. It will aid you. At first the text may seem difficult to discern, but a learned hunter will come to understand its words. Venture the depths of this land and slay its beasts. Prove yourself worthy to bear the mark of Hunter.”

* * *

The journal was filled with an odd dialect that the Knight almost recalled. A kingdom they spent very little time in used it. They could identify some of the illustrations though.  
_Know these,_ Shard said, pointing at a drawing that resembled Myla. The two were now seated against the Hunter’s mound. The Hunter himself was sleeping; they could hear his rumbling snores. _They mined the crystal mount. First to get infected._

The Knight turned the page, and stopped short.

A shade.

Shard’s breath caught, and the Knight’s head jerked up. They were looking at the exact same entry. You’ve seen one too?

Shard nodded. _Mine_.

_You’ve died?!_

Shard pointed an accusing limb. _If you know what it is, you’ve died, too!_

_What happened?_

Shard crossed their arms and shrugged, flustered. _I don’t exactly have a record of all the times I’ve fallen on crystals. What about you?_

_…Usually fighting._

_At least that’s reasonable! Falling on crystals is just silly!_

The two siblings stared at each other.

The Knight wasn’t sure who started the hug, but they weren’t pulling away.

They had all the time in the world, because they’d never lose their sibling.

Somehow, it had never occurred to them that a sibling would have the same resistance to death that they did.

* * *

Another grub! In a tunnel across a pool of acid.

  
Shard needed no prompting this time. They blasted over and freed the grub. They barely made it back over, though. The Knight had to help them up after they ran out of Soul a bare inch short of a platform. _Spare Soul?_ they huffed, worn. The Knight gladly lent them some with a squeeze to the shoulder.

The moss-covered cobble gave way to stone. The Knight huffed–they liked the spongy ground closer to the acid and the textured overgrown cobble more than the smooth plates that made Hallownest’s roads.

The next cavern was all road, ruined buildings on either side. Ivy covered barrels lined the stone of the path. A single intact lamp post stood in the distance, its lumafly fluttering steadily in its bulb.

Shard took a few steps forward, marveling at it all.

Hornet dropped out of the leafy canopy, threw her needle and thread, and grappled away.

Shard startled backwards and collided with the Knight–they managed to grab their sibling and steady them both before they fell to the ground.

The two stared in Hornet’s wake, before Shard broke the silence. _Something tells me we’re going to see her again, whether we want to or not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to appreciate that I almost called Cornifer a cryptographer this chapter  
> I attempted to make this feel like a written travel montage. I don't know how successful I was, but that was the intent here  
> Also! If I mess up and call the Knight Ghost before they properly claim their name please tell me so. I have done it before and I'm sure I will do it again


	6. More Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More journeying through the Greenpath, now featuring the Hunter's Journal, and avoiding Hornet at all costs

The pair stopped for a rest at a stone bench a cavern below where they’d encountered Hornet. Now they were on the road again, Shard periodically checking the Hunter’s journal while the Knight dealt with most of the enemies. The wildlife was thicker here, the Hallownest pathing thoroughly overgrown.

 _That one’s an obble,_ Shard said. They stopped to make a note.

The leaves beneath them trembled.

The Knight shoved Shard out of the way just as two leaves shut around the air where they used to be. A moment later, the leaves snapped together.

 _I remember that one,_ the Knight said, and flipped to a particular page of the Hunter’s journal. The two words labeling it were fairly recognizable. _Fool eater._

Shard huffed. _I’m a fool then._

 _Maybe don’t do that while we’re in the open,_ the Knight said. Shard huffed again, but put the journal away.

The roads grew into crumbling buildings that the Knight could not scale. Shard could, but didn’t feel like it, so the pair had to brave moss-covered bugs that burst from the ground and charged at them. Acid hissed and bubbled beneath bridges and long-collapsed segments.

The Knight was cutting down another green enemy when a splash of red in the distance struck them like a blow.

Hornet again, in the doorway of a building up ahead.

She ran off immediately–right in the direction Shard and the Knight had been going.

There was no other easily accessible route west.

 _Maybe time to go up for a bit?_ Shard suggested, a little quaver in their voice. _Cornifer marked a tunnel not far from here._

_Good idea._

* * *

  
Going up was a good call; they’d found a ruined warehouse filled with goodies to scavenge, and another bench in the adjacent cavern.

 _Whoever decided to put a toll on benches should be fired,_ Shard complained in a mumble, curled into a ball at one of the bench. It seemed the more they traveled together, the more Shard talked.

The Knight was checking through the Hunter’s journal on the other end. _It was only fifty Geo,_ they replied, grateful they’d had the amount.

_But where would you draw the line? What about one-fifty Geo? Three hundred Geo?!_

Yikes. _Touché,_ the Knight admitted. They didn’t get a reply; Shard had relaxed, head lolled back on the bench. Ah, so it was exhaustion.

* * *

Shard was starting to have to use their spells more. Between the tighter corners and larger numbers of Mosskin, and the Moss Knights, quick warriors bearing shells and nails that seemed to emerge from nowhere, Greenpath was getting harder and harder to traverse.

The Knight paused to stare at a stone inscribed with familiar glyphs.

_…greater mind…of leaf and…caverns…bush and vine…mind of Unn…to…_

That was all they could read. Frustrating, but also: how did they know some of the Mosskin’s written language at all?

 _The Mosskin did worship something,_ Shard mused when the Knight translated the fragments. They weren’t very open about it, according to the Shamans. But Shamans also don’t ask questions, so that might be on them.

A moss creep popped out of the ground nearby and dashed toward them.

 _Time to go,_ said the Knight, and pulled their sibling away. 

* * *

The greenery thinned in the higher caverns. The old tiktiks, crawlids, and vengeflies were a welcome respite from the toughened Mosskin.

Just beneath, again in the thickets, a Moss Knight guarded a grub behind a door.

 _Again?_ The Knight complained. They’d do it, but they would be annoyed about it.

Shard patted their shoulder consolingly. _Let’s go, Knight._

* * *

_We should find a place to rest soon_ , Shard said, their steps more trudge than trot. _I_ _t’s been a while._

It had. The Knight no longer had any clue how long they’d been in this kingdom. Less than a month, more than a week, best estimate.

The Knight was briefly distracted by a moss charger. It actually managed to damage them; they really should rest.

 _What about that?_ Shard pointed out a cave nearly covered by moss.

The cave mouth opened up into a tunnel full of greenery, and then a huge cavern with a lower floor. They dropped in, only to find themselves across from a familiar figure in red.

Hornet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did die to a moss charger while routing this chapter and I was sorely tempted to add it in. I'm sure everyone is happy I didn't  
> You may notice some word shifts in the last few chapters. The reason is fussiness. That's it


	7. °Hornet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knight and Shard fight Hornet. Help comes from an unexpected source.

“Come no closer, ghosts,” Hornet warned, pointing her needle at them. “I’ve seen you creeping through the undergrowth.” She took her eyes off them for a scant moment, scanning the cavern walls. “This old kingdom…a terrible thing awakens. I can smell it in the air.” Her eyes settled on them again, and narrowed with dire focus. “I know what you are. I know what you’d try to do. I can’t allow it.” She shouted a war cry, startling them, and flew at them with a flash of gleaming white thread.

Shard dodged with a Soul-fueled jump, the Knight leaping to the side.

Hornet tossed her needle and struck the Knight all too easily. The pain brought the situation suddenly to life.

Shard landed next to them, exchanged a glance. 

They may be exhausted from traveling, but they’d spent however long learning how to fight side by side. There were two of them, and one of her.

They could take her. 

The Knight parried her next blow. _I’ll keep her eyes on me,_ they called to their sibling. _You hit her as much as you can._  


_I will!_

Hornet was much harder than the other enemies they’d faced before. She was fast, experienced with her needle and thread, and just when they’d thought they had a handle on her movements she pulled out a new attack.

Then that stopped happening. Then the Knight started to figure out what in shade she was doing. Shard started predicting her movements better. 

It wasn’t like fighting the Infected. Hornet actually stood a chance. It was a challenge. Almost…fun. 

Hornet leapt away from one of the Knight’s slashes, and giggled. She seemed almost as surprised at the sound as Shard and the Knight were. 

She recovered a second earlier than they did, and homed in on Shard.

The spell-caster flinched and ducked, too slow.

The Knight leapt over them and blocked the needle’s strike with their own nail, throwing Hornet back.

Another brief hesitation from the opposed bug, and it earned her a spell from Shard, sending her even further back.

A bug burst out of the undergrowth, wielding a Moss Knight’s nail, cloak covered in leaves.

_Another sibling._

They blocked Hornet’s needle strike with their shield, threw her back with the leverage.

Hornet actually gasped, nearly falling over. She leapt back when the moss-cloaked bug attempted another strike, and stilled, panting. She took a long wide-eyed look at the three siblings, all prepared to continue the fight.

She threw her needle up and grappled away.

They all relaxed, the Knight lowering their nail, Shard’s stiff posture slumping, the newcomer tucking their nail away. They turned to Shard and the Knight. _I wish we could have met under better circumstances,_ said the mossy bug ruefully.  


_I’m glad we met at all,_ said Shard, tired but delighted. _Would you share your name with us?_  


_Mallow, like the plant._ They pointed at a bunch of pale pink flowers. _A defender of Unn. You?_  


_Shard, shaman’s apprentice._   


_I am the Knight, and now I have a name,_ they said decisively. _I_ _am Ghost. I will save the sibling trapped in the temple, and the living who remain here._

Mallow bowed to them both. _I must thank you. I would have been stuck here until she tired or found me, if not for you._  


_If you’d like to thank us, you could point us to a place to rest_ _,_ Ghost said. _We’ve been going for days._

 _There’s a bench at the Shrine of Unn. This way._

A scattering of strange motes filled the air, and the three were suddenly frozen to the spot. 

Distant voices filled the air. 

_“Would they seek to break the Seals?”_

_“They cannot be undone.”_

_“They must be undone.”_

_“Let us sleep, little shadows. Return to your darkness. Allow us our peace.”_

Three hazy figures appeared, and cast a whirling miasma of energy at the three.

The world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A significant part of this fic is just the spider-man meme but with vessels  
> I'm not as satisfied with this chapter but I've also waffled over it enough so  
> Fight descriptions will be kept to a minimal because a) my satisfaction with my ability to write fights is low, and b) we're all probably fairly familiar with them


End file.
